When Thomas Müller announced recently in an Instagram post that his next career move would be “across the big pond,” it was quickly reported that the bright lights of Los Angeles would be his destination.
However, the soon to be 36-year-old, who has made a career of surprising opponents on the pitch, caught nobody off guard by announcing on Wednesday that he was indeed moving to the Pacific west coast — but north of the 49th parallel to Vancouver. The move had been Major League Soccer’s worst-kept secret for days.
‘A statement signing’
“Thomas is a world-class player – the ultimate “Raumdeuter” (Interpreter of space) – known for his elite chance creation, unmatched spatial awareness, and relentless off-the-ball movement,” said Axel Schuster, Whitecaps FC CEO & sporting director.
“This is a statement signing by our club and our ownership – a transformative moment for our club and our city.”
In the same statement released by the Whitecaps, Müller said he had heard great things about Vancouver and was coming to the city to win.
“I’ve had great conversations with Axel Schuster and (head coach) Jesper Sorensen, and now I can’t wait to play in front of the supporters and to see all of the fans come out to BC Place as we head towards the playoffs.”
It’s hard to overstate how much this will mean to Whitecaps supporters, who haven’t been accustomed to their club splashing the cash like Canadian rivals Toronto FC and CF Montreal.
In his six years in Vancouver, Axel Schuster, has earned a reputation as a bargain hunter, often preferring to sign young players with ample upside.
Quietly, the former Mainz and Schalke man has built what is looking like a contender, with the Whitecaps now in second place in the Western Conference after the mid-season All-Star break. Now people are wondering: Could Müller be just the man to push “The Village” over the top?
In the right place at the right time
While he has never been the fastest or strongest player, he’s famously made a career out of being in the right place at the right time — more often than not.
As Schuster alluded to, this is why he’s been dubbed the “Raumdeuter” for his ability to manipulate space on the field of play. In that sense, there are few teams in the world that wouldn’t benefit from his in-game intelligence — as Canadian football pundit Jordan Wilson noted on One Soccer recently.
“He’s so cerebral. He knows what he needs to do, he knows what he needs to give. He’ll blend into any squad, especially Whitecaps’, quickly.”
“I think he would be the perfect person, profile, attitude, personality to come into that side.”
Another nickname Müller has been given is “Radio Müller,” because of his incessant chatter on the field. The combination of his style of play and leadership creates the sense he has more to offer than just playing out the final chapter of his career.
There is, however, no denying that last season at Bayern he played the fewest Bundesliga minutes of his entire career. The key, it seems, will be to make the most of Müller in short bursts.
Impactful on and off the pitch
While his contract will only take him through to the end of the 2026 MLS season, his impact off the field could be longer lasting. Famous for making jokes and laughing regularly, Müller’s arrival into the Whitecaps dressing room will be memorable. Both for Bayern Munich and Germany over the years, Müller has built a brand around his jovial, down-to-earth personality. With nearly 15 million Instagram followers, Müller is popular across the world and his presence alone has helped both Bayern and the Bundesliga to grow in recent years.
There is also Müller’s wealth of experience. Müller is a World Cup and two-time Champions League winner. He has made the third most appearances (163) of all time in Europe’s most prestigious competition and over 750 for Bayern Munich.
This is why Wilson sees the addition of Müller as a huge opportunity for a squad with an average age of under 26 to learn from a veteran player.
“He’s a winner,” Wilson said. “He knows how he wants to play football, and I think he will get the best out of the players around him.”
Can Müller make the move work?
However, some have cautioned that MLS history has shown that bringing in a European superstar is no guarantee of success.
Toronto FC are perhaps the best example of how wrong a signing can go. The club parted ways with Italian stars Lorenzo Insigne and Federico Bernardeschi earlier his month — after both severely underperformed since their signings three years ago.
And they are by no means the only Europeans who have underwhelmed in MLS. But the consensus in the Canadian media seems to be that Müller’s apparent down-to-earth ways promise to be a good fit on the west coast.
“Despite all the quality you are getting as a footballer, you are getting everything else off of the pitch in terms of the human being,” former Canadian international Amy Walsh noted on the Footy Prime podcast prior to the move.
Concerns have also been expressed about Müller’s age, particularly give the high-octane style of play that the Whitecaps’ Danish coach, Jesper Sorensen favors. But Walsh played down these worries too, pointing out that Müller has never relied on pace to be effective.
“I think that he will be able through his intelligence, his tactical savvy, his footballing IQ to figure out how to conserve energy,” she said.
It’s been seven years since perhaps the most exciting player ever to come out of Canada, Alphonso Davies, left the Whitecaps to become a teammate of Müller’s at Bayern. Now, Müller has moved in the opposite direction trading the natural beauty of southern Bavaria on the edge of the Alps for the natural beauty of Vancouver — nestled between the Rockies.
On the surface at least, the light-hearted Müller looks like a good fit on the laid back left coast. For Whitecaps fans, this must be the most exciting news since 1979, when an earlier incarnation of the club became champions of North America.
Edited by: Jonathan Harding
